Withered Flower
by Shadows of the Fan
Summary: This is the rewirrten version of my old story (Withered Flower.) Both parts are currently being rewritten. Further description will be added later. SasuxOCxNeji
1. Chapter 1

A flash of white flew through the trees. An ANBU Black ops paused to catch his breath; he was on his way back to Konoha from an assassination mission. Sitting on the branch, the lone ninja sighed and slowly slid this dog mask up to rest on top of his head and looked around with his one onyx eye and the other blazing red. The man took out what was left of his only sandwich and slowly reached to pull down the fabric mask that was covering his mouth when his left ear twitched. As fast as the blinking eye, he threw a kunai knife at the bush that rustled and to his surprise a screaming child came out of it. It looked like he had hurt them because the child was limping. The ANBU nin tilted his head to the side as he observed the child. They had short, choppy white hair, that looked like it had been forcefully cut. Their eyes were a deep onyx just like his own had been. They seemed to be only wearing a dirty, baggy T-shirt. Their small feet were bruised and bare and they couldn't have been more than five years old. Dropping from his perch on the tree, the ANBU nin walked over to the child.

"Are you alone? Were you followed? Were you traveling with anyone?"

The child limped away from him in fear. Realizing that he was being a little too direct with the child, he offered them his sandwich. The child creeped forward slowly, keeping eye contact with the silver haired ninja. They quickly snatched the Sandwich and wolfed it down faster than anyone he's seen eat before.

"Well then, now that we're friends, would you mind actually talking to me now?" he asked whilst moving closer to the child, which they allowed. The child looked up into his miss-matched eyes and gave a soft smile. Just before the child opened their mouth to speak there was rustling coming from the forest. Angry foot steps could be heard coming their way. The ANBU nin quickly pulled down his mask and disappeared into the trees, leaving the startled child alone. Eventually three towns men ran up to the spot he had just previously occupied.

"There they be" said the fattest of the three with a heavy rural accent. He grabbed the child by their short hair and hoisted them up to his eye level causing the child to scream in pain. "You brat, you thought you could steal from me and get away with it?" He forcefully threw the child down to the ground, injuring them. The fat man raised his leg in preparation to kick the child, but his foot never made contact. Instead a gloved hand caught it and using his leg, the masked ninja threw the fat man into a tree. Seeing the strength of the unknown man, the other two men turned around and ran from the scene, obviously knowing that they were out matched. Turning his attention back to the man whom he had injured, the ANBU walked toward him and stooped down to where he was face to face with the man. "W-who are you?!" he shook in fear.

Ignoring him, the masked man scoffed. "I don't take child abuse to kindly. I would kill you, but I do not wish for this child to see anymore violence than it already has." The ANBU's red and black eyes bore into the larger man's and when the village man had blinked the man with the mask and the child was gone.

In the village Hidden in the Leaves, there was a man with a dog mask standing in the Hokage's office with a small child clinging to his pants leg.

"Dog, what is the meaning of this before me?" the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, spoke out loud. The ANBU nin removed his mask and placed it on the Hokage's desk.

"Sir, I wish to resign."

"Are you sure you want to do this? Is it all because of this child? We could simply place him... or her into foster care."

"Don't waste time doing that sir. I'll take them in myself. I want to be there for them, so I am going to need more free time." The silver haired man looked down at the child that he was going above and beyond for. He didn't know exactly why he was doing this; he was only twenty years old and he could always go and make his own children. So why take in a child in which he doesn't even know the gender of? Ah, but if he did place this child into foster care he would always be checking on them, so often in fact that they might just tell him to go ahead and adopt them.

The Hokage sighed and arose from his chair and walked over to the child which hid more behind the ANBU's leg. "Now, now, don't be afraid little one; I only want to say Hello." he said with a smile. Standing up he looked the silver haired ninja in the eye. "Alright Kakashi Hatake, resignation accepted. You'll be dropped to Jounin. The academy will start assigning teams again in the fall, maybe you should think about mentoring a squad? You can report here in the morning for farther details, until then... good luck." With that Kakashi Hatake picked up his child and left the Hokage's office.

Stopping by the Ramen Shack, Kakashi watched as the child ate a large bowl. "Ah well... I'm not sure if you can talk, but I am Kakashi and I'll be your fath- ahem- care taker. Do you have a name?" Pausing, the child looked up into Kakashi's sole black eye and swallowed the remaining food in its mouth.

"K-kareta"

It was barely a whisper, but Kakashi heard it and with that his heart fluttered. After lunch, Kakashi took Kareta to the only place where he knew he would get help with a child. As he entered the Uchiha compound, he nodded to everyone who greeted him as he headed to his comrade's home. After knocking on the door, a woman appeared and she smiled softly at the scene before her.

"Itachi, you have company!" the woman called into the house as she let the new family of two into her home.

"Actually Mikoto, I came to seek your help today." Kakashi placed Kareta down on the floor as they entered the house. Racing from around the corner, a young boy probably just a few months older than Kareta, came dashing through the room; knocking Kareta off her feet.

"Sasuke! What have I told you about running in the house?!" Mikoto chastised her son, while pinching his cheeks.

"Sorry Mama..."

"Now go help that poor child up!"

Sasuke made his way over to help Kareta, but the white haired child shrugged away from him and got up on her own.

"Are you a girl or a boy?" Sasuke asked curiously. Kareta frowned and walked over to Kakashi and attached herself to his leg. As the two adults talked, the two children were engaged in a staring match until a figure came down the stairs and distracted Sasuke. "Itachi!"

A young boy, probably around fifteen or sixteen years old, came around the corner and smiled at everyone in the room. "Mother, Kakashi, and oh, is this one of your friends Sasuke?" he asked while patting Sasuke on the head.

"No way! White hair? Bleh! They wont even tell me if they are a girl or a boy!" Sasuke stoke his tongue out.

Kareta frowned again and lifted up her over sized shirt to show off what was underneath. She wasn't wearing any under garment because, well, she had none.

"Oh dear Kareta-chan! Pull that down sweetheart!" Mikoto quickly pulled down her shirt and hoisted her up and sat the child on her lap. "Well how about I give her a bath and she can wear some of Sasuke's old clothes and we can all go shopping?" Mikoto smiled as she arose from her seat carrying Kareta with her. "Come on Sasuke, you can help me find your old clothes, right?".

Before following behind his mother, Sasuke looked over to where the two ANBU leveled ninja sat and talked barely over a whisper and sighed.

Sasuke wasn't very fond of the marketplace, mainly because he never really got out of the Uchiha compound. Sasuke looked up at the white haired girl his mother was carrying and pouted. "She doesn't carry me anymore" he grumbled to himself. he honestly hoped that this girl wasn't going to remain in his life like this and soak up all the attention. He looked up at the man. He looked like he could be Itachi's age, so why does he have a kid? Could it be his little sister, like how he was Itachi's little brother? The young Uchiha was so deep into his thought that he ended up running straight into the man with the silver hair.

"Hmmm you look like a trouble maker. " he said while peering down at Sasuke with his lone, black eye.

Sasuke pouted and turned away. He just wanted to play ninja with Itachi.

After his shopping trip with Mikoto, Kakashi bid the Uchihas farewell and took Kareta to her new home. Kakashi didn't make many good choices in life, but the one good choice he did make was getting a two bed, two bathroom apartment. He looked over his shoulder at the sleeping child and smiled.

Maybe for once he made a really good decision.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Thunder rolled softly as the heavy drops of rain hit Kakashi's window. The shinobi sighed deeply. The rain was not what was keeping him awake. It was the soft sobs coming from the room that housed a child. Sighing for the sixth time, Kakashi arose from his bed and rubbed his sore eyes. He slowly made his way out of his bedroom and down the hall. This was the fourth night this week alone that he was doing this. Standing in her doorway. Watching her toss and turn. Watching her cry in her sleep. She had been having nightmares since he had first brought her home a week and a half ago. Whatever was attacking her in her dreams didn't stop. When it first started occurring, Kakashi once again went to Mikoto for her wisdom.

" _Comfort her. Let her know that you are there and you'd let nothing harm her."_ Her words rang in his head.

The ANBU ninja sat on the edge of the small bed and peered down at the child. The moonlight that shinned through her window was enough to see her panicked sleeping face. Kakashi brushed her white hair from her face gently.

"Don't worry, for as long as I live, I shall not let anyone or anything harm you. Kareta…" He rubbed the top of her head softly and smiled a bit to himself when he felt her body relax. It was weird to him. Raising a child. He had just turned twenty less than a month ago. Now he was going to raise this 6 year old girl by himself. Was it because he had no one to raise him? Was it because he knows how it feels to be abandoned by your parent. Kakashi closed his eyes. He wasn't going to fail her.

"S-sir?..."

Kakashi's eyes snapped open and he looked down into the eyes of the now awake child.

"Ah you can call me… uh.. well…" Kakashi wasn't sure if he was exactly ready for someone to be calling him father just yet. "You can call me Kakashi…."

"Ka-Kakashi?" she yawned.

"Yes?"

"Can you lay with me?" Kakashi's eyes grew wide at the question. "I keep having the same dream and I can't sleep." Kakashi let out a gentle sigh and laid down behind the girl in the small bed. He watched as she quickly drifted back off to sleep. Kakashi didn't move though. Instead he continued to lay there and watched Kareta's little body rise and fall with every breath that she took and he unknowingly smiled to him. Maybe fathering a child wouldn't be so bad.

"Thank you, Mikoto-san."

"Yes, yes now hurry or you'll be late!"

It had been two months since Kakashi had taken in Kareta and it was finally time for him to go back to work. Thankfully Mikoto Uchiha was more than willing to watch his adoptive child while he was away. Kneeling down to her height, Kakashi's lone black eye peered into Kareta's own. It was awkward for him. He had a ping in his stomach that didn't want him to leave Kareta. Not that he didn't trust Mikoto, but it was solely the fact that Kareta wouldn't be with him. He was with her every day since he had found her and he wasn't really sure if he ready to let her out of his sight yet. The silver hared ninja sighed and patted the young girl on the head.

"Be good now, alright Kareta? I'll pick you up tonight". The young girl watched as her care taker disappeared in a flash.

"Now then Kareta-chan, it's still earl; would you like to lay down and rest for bit?" Mikoto ushered the child inside.

As the sun set behind the Hokage monument, two children came running throughout a very polished house; knocking down a vase.

"Sasuke! Kareta-chan! What's going on?!" Mikoto rushed into the living room where the two children had stopped playing.

"Mama… I'm sorry." Sasuke looked down at his feet. "Please don't send Kareta-chan home…"

Said girl looked down at her feet sheepishly. "S-sorry Mikoto-san".

"I'm home!"

Everyone's attention turned toward the front door where 3 men entered the house.

"Itachi! Father!" Sasuke ran to go hug his family members.

The silver haired ninja walked up to his child and glanced down at her. The young child peered down at her feet while blushing lightly and then slowly raised her head to look Kakashi in his lone eye. Peering over her, Kakashi noticed the broken vase on the floor. "Did you do that?" he spoke softly.

The white haired girl opened her mouth to speak, but didn't get to say anything as Sasuke rushed over to her.

"N-no! It was me! I broke Mama's vase! Please don't punish her!"

The room went silent. All the adults looked at one another and Mikoto nodded at Kakashi. "Alright then Sasuke. I'll take your word for it." Kakashi smiled underneath his mask and patted Sasuke head. He reached down and picked up Kareta. Kareta smiled down at Sasuke as Kakashi thanked the Uchiha's and promised to replace their vase anyway. Sasuke gave a wide toothed grin in return. "See you tomorrow Kareta-chan?"

The white haired girl looked up into Kakashi's face and he gave a slight nod. "Y-yeah!"

The duo walked down the quiet streets of Konoha. Kareta glanced around as shop owners were closing down their shops and other families headed on their way home as well. Kareta looked up into Kakashi's young face.

"Kakashi?"

"Yes?" The silver haired ninja's lone eyes made contact with her large black ones.

"C-can I call you Papa?" she spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, but it was loud enough for Kakashi to hear. He smile and glanced over at the receding sun and then back down at his adopted child.

"Of course you can… Kareta…"

The young girl smiled softly at the older man and rested her head on his chest and snuggled into him as they both watched the sun set on their way back home.


End file.
